Zerodha co-founder and CEO Nithin Kamath has sounded the alarm on the growing consumption of soft drinks in India, linking it to the country’s escalating diabetes crisis. In a recent post on X (formerly Twitter), Kamath highlighted a worrying trend revealed during a beverage company’s earnings call, noting that “Indians are consuming more soft drinks than ever.”
Without naming the company, Kamath pointed out that the rise in soft drink intake is contributing to a broader public health challenge. He emphasized that “India is at the epicentre of the global diabetes epidemic,” underlining the severity of the issue.
Here's something worrying from a recent earnings call of a beverage maker: Indian's are consuming more soft drinks than ever. Even Indian companies have said something similar. Remember, India is at the epicentre of the global diabetes epidemic. https://t.co/aWF8qKASsm
— Nithin Kamath (@Nithin0dha) May 15, 2025
This is the second time Kamath has publicly addressed the diabetes problem in India. He previously posted in November last year, calling diabetes “a ticking time bomb for India.” At that time, he shared alarming statistics, stating that India has the largest number of people with diabetes globally. “There was a time when people used to call diabetes a rich person’s disease. But that’s no longer the case,” Kamath noted. He cited a recent study estimating that 21 crore (210 million) Indians are living with diabetes today.
Kamath’s warnings come amid growing health concerns in India, where lifestyle changes and increased consumption of sugary beverages are driving up diabetes and related complications.